Photo Journal: Icy clash

A raised line of cracked ice appears on the frozen surface of Lake Suwa in Nagano Prefecture on Feb. 1, 2018, for the first time since 2013. This natural phenomenon is called "omiwatari," or god's footsteps, and the name comes from a myth in the Suwa region. Omiwatari is caused by the repeated expansion and contraction of ice due to a temperature difference. Legend states omiwatari is a romantic way for the god of Suwa Shrine to go to the goddess on the opposite bank. (Mainichi)